


The Dead Talk Back

by CaesiumDressing



Series: Huxloween stuffs [26]
Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Fighting, General Hux is clueless, Ghost Fights, Ghosts, Kylo Ren is a child, Luke and Leia are alright I guess, Multi, call Zak Bagans, how not to ask someone out, might as well have yakity sax, skywalkers are messes across the board
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-27
Updated: 2016-10-27
Packaged: 2018-08-27 06:24:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,032
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8390659
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CaesiumDressing/pseuds/CaesiumDressing
Summary: Kylo Ren and General Hux try to summon the ghost of Darth Vader with questionable results.
Written for Huxloween prompt: Seance.





	

“So what is this we’re doing again, Ren?” Hux asked, sitting cross legged on the floor of Kylo Ren’s meditation chamber.

“You are here to assist me in summoning the spirit of Darth Vader,” Ren replied, pulling old fashioned wax candles from a satchel he had dragged out of a black cabinet in the corner of the room. He began setting the candles around them in a circle and sparking them on.

“Open flames on a starship are generally inadvisable,” Hux snarked at Ren. He didn’t believe one ounce in this ‘speaking to the dead’ ritual Ren had dragged him into, but any reason to be around Ren was as good as another. He’d never admit to a single soul that he may have possibly fallen in love with that colossal pain-in-the-ass but he could at least admit to himself that he found the man’s company . . . pleasant.

“Says the man who smokes a pack of cigarras a day,” Ren sniped right back. Hux sputtered in indignation as Ren set the last candle up and sat back in the circle. “Did you think I didn’t know?” Ren asked, waving his hand toward the light switch and switching off the overhead lighting in favor of the candles. “No matter how high you turn on the ‘fresher fans in the officer’s lounge everyone can tell you are smoking in there. That’s the downfall of recycled air on starships,” Ren settled himself and placed his hands palm up on his knees. Hux stared at him.

“Now what?” Hux said, after a few moments in awkward silence. Ren wiggled his fingers.

“Put your hands on mine palms down,” he responded. In this moment Hux had never been happy to be in a room solely lit by candles. He could feel his face burning up with a blush. He gently reached forward and gingerly placed his hands atop of Ren’s. If they weren’t here to summon ghosts it may even be romantic.

“Now what?” Hux asked, swallowing harshly to keep his voice from squeaking terribly much. Hopefully Ren just thought him a coward and couldn’t tell the real reason behind his discomfort.

“Close your eyes,” Ren sighed out, relaxing and letting his own close. “Don’t open them until I tell you,” he ordered gently, too gently for Kylo Ren. This was growing more uncomfortable by the minute, holding hands in a room lit by candles with a man that he might not hate as much as everyone thinks? Hux took a deep breath willing himself to relax.

_You are the youngest General in the First Order. You have faced down greater beasts. Relax._ Hux reassured himself, and let his eyes drift closed.

Ren began to chant in a language Hux didn’t recognize. He could only assume it was some ancient tongue that Force users spoke. It sounded like rushing water to Hux. The sounds lasted for long moments and the room began to grow cold. Ren stopped chanting.

“Open your eyes, Hux,” Ren whispered, own voice sounding awed. Hux did so.

The first thing he saw was Ren’s gaping face with eyes as round as dinner plates looking to his right. Hux followed his gaze. Standing in the room with them now was a young man in Jedi robes that had his own iridescence. Hux could see the room behind the man, as if he were made from gossamer fabric. He sucked in a deep breath.

“Ren, who is that?” Hux asked, hesitatingly.

“I’m Anakin Skywalker,” the young man stated, looking at Hux. Hux held back the start at being addressed by a ghost and just nodded.

“Why do you call me, Ben Solo?” Anakin addressed Ren. Ren and Hux both flinched. Ren because he hated being called Ben, Hux because he knew Ren hated that name.

“I need your guidance, Grandfather,” Ren replied, still staring at the form. Hux looked at Ren.

“You said your grandfather was Darth Vader,” he whispered harshly to Ren.

“You do realize I’m dead, not deaf, Armitage Hux?” The ghost spoke again. Hux snapped his head around to face him. “I was born Anakin Skywalker. I became Darth Vader when one of my closest friends betrayed me,” Anakin continued, sounding less like a dignified Jedi and more like a spoiled child.

“Now you just wait a minute, Anakin,”  a voice came from the opposing corner. Both Ren and Hux turned their heads to face the newcomer. It was another ghostly Jedi, this one looked much older and spoke in a much more dignified manner. “I didn’t betray you, you fell to the Dark Side. I saw you become a monster,” the ghost spoke, looking only at Anakin.

“You left me to die,” Anakin whispered fiercely, staring down the other ghost.

“Excuse me,” Ren spoke up, addressing the newly arrived apparition. “Kenobi, this was a conversation between myself and Anakin,” Ren pointedly told the new spirit. “You should leave,” Ren said, more politely than Hux had ever seen him do anything before.

“Absolutely not. I will not have this menace,” the ghost of Obi-wan Kenobi gestured vehemently at Anakin Skywalker. “Corrupting my namesake. You may speak to Anakin, but I will remain here,” Obi-wan said, crossing his arms and sitting on the floor just outside of the candles. Ren and the ghost of Anakin Skywalker rolled their eyes in unison. No wonder Ren felt like a kindred spirit to the man, they were equally childish.

“Why have you called me here, Grandson?” Anakin asked Ren, his spirit kneeling to be more at eye level.

“Uh, well, you see,” Ren stuttered, looking at Hux. Hux just looked back at Ren quizzically.

“Ah,” Anakin nodded, glancing back and forth between the men. “To be honest child, red heads are a losing proposition,” Anakin answered sagely.

“You shut up, you child,” Obi-wan shouted, rising to his feet indignantly and stomping around the edge of the circle to face off with Anakin, as much as a ghost could stomp. “The only reason I was a losing proposition was because you were out slaughtering younglings,” he snarled in Anakin’s face.

“Maybe, if you hadn’t been such a nerf-hearder,” Anakin started, standing and getting into Obi-wan’s space. “I wouldn’t have had to go seeking the teachings of the Dark Side,” he sneered. Obi-wan opened his mouth to reply, but another voice came from the outside of the circle.

“You both need to relax,” Hux gaped. This was the first face he recognized; it was Queen Amidala of Naboo. Hux wasn’t sure if he should bow to ghosts, but he inclined his head anyway. Both of the others were struck speechless. The Queen gazed at Ren.

“You shouldn’t listen to your grandfather, child. He speaks out of heartache. I think you have chosen wonderfully,” Her form sparkled as she gazed between the men on the floor. “Denying your feelings only leads to pain,” she said, looking pointedly to Obi-wan and Anakin. They both hung their heads.

“Wait a minute,” another ghost busted in. Hux’s mouth dropped open, and he felt his stomach drop.

“Dad?” he whispered, voice cracking like he was thirteen again.

“Who says that that mongrel is good enough for my son?” Brendol Hux harrumphed at the other ghosts in the room. Hux was having difficulty processing the whole conversation, which had rapidly gotten out of Ren’s control.

“He’s royalty,” the Queen responded calmly, just as regal as she was when she was alive.

“He’s also the son of rebel scum,” Brendol wheezed, scowling at Queen Amidala.

“Who are you calling scum?” another voice shot out of the opposite corner. The two men in the center of the circle turned to the new speaker.

“Oh my stars,” Ren groaned. Hux would have recognized that face anywhere, the scoundrel and rogue Han Solo had joined the council of ghosts that had been called to this room.

“You, you ruffian. Nothing that you ever did was worth a pile of bantha shit,” Brendol sneered at the ghost of Han Solo.

“I did help put down the empire, that’s pretty impressive,” Han Solo sneered right back. Within seconds the ghost of Brendol Hux had cleared the distance between himself and Han and had swung a fist. Han dodged and swung right back. His ghost fist connected to Brendol’s ghostly face, but he used that opportunity to sweep kick Han to the ground and jump on him. If Hux weren’t so mortified that his father’s ghost was fighting Ren’s father’s ghost he would have found the whole thing hilarious.

Like lightning Obi-wan had latched onto Brendol’s shoulders and pulled him off of Han Solo. As Han stood up to jump at Brendol, Anakin Skywalker grabbed Han. There was some struggling and yelling from both parties.

“Enough!” the Queen stated loudly and firmly. Everyone, living and dead, stopped to look.

“This decision lies with the living,” she said, nodding to Ren and Hux. “My own choices lead to my death, yes, but I made them because I chose to. If I had been told otherwise I don’t believe I would have listened. In the end, I was happy,” she smiled, leaning down to her grandson. “You make the decision that is right for you, none of us can do that for you.”

Hux could hear his father’s ghost grumbling.

“Oh come on you old bag of wind,” Han Solo spoke, shaking Anakin off of him. “We’re both dead as doorknobs and didn’t we both make inadvisable decisions that in the end made us unspeakably happy?” Han’s ghost pointedly looked at Ren. Ren snorted and looked away. Brendol made a non-committal noise and faded from the room. Han Solo shrugged and faded away as well.

Obi-wan and Anakin sheepishly looked at each other out of the corners of their eyes. Obi-wan faded away.

“Your grandmother is right child,” Anakin said beginning to fade away himself. “Following your heart can be painful, but it’s probably the right decision in the end. Anakin Skywalker’s ghost finally faded out of existence. They were left with only Queen Amidala. She smiled down at them both.

“Please, take good care of him, Armitage Hux. The Skywalker men are reckless and wild, but they are also loyal and passionate. Do right by them and you will never want for anything,” she finished, fading away into the ether.

“I will,” Hux whispered at the empty air where the ghost once stood. He turned to Ren, who was looking away.

“What,” Hux began and stopped, swallowing. “What was that all about?” he asked, willing his voice to not shake. Ren turned his head so that he’d be facing Hux if he looked up, but instead he stared at their hands. Hux looked down and Ren slid his hands so he was holding Hux’s; as if there were lovers sharing a moment. The floor seemed to drop out from Hux when Ren lifted his head to face him.

It’s that look.

“You brought me to a séance with your grandfather’s ghost to ask me out?” Hux snarled, snatching his hands away.

“Hux,” Ren reached out to grab Hux’s hands again and Hux batted them away.

“What happened to asking someone to get a caf? Or go to a damned holofilm? Is this some sort of Force user thing?” Hux blustered. Ren sputtered back.

“I’d never asked anyone out before,” Ren said shyly, hiding behind his hair again. “You can just say no,” he was clearly trying to keep the sound of tears out his voice when he said that. Hux sighed.

“You are so frustrating,” he sneered. “Yes, yes I will go out with you, you enormous ass,” Hux said through clenched teeth. Ren’s head snapped up.

“Really?” he asked, incredulous.

“Yes. But please let’s not do this again. I’d prefer just about anything to being surrounded by our dead relatives,” Hux stated, standing and dusting his pants off.

“What about being surrounded by our living ones?” Ren replied, standing himself. Hux shivered.

“Good point. Come on, let’s go to the officer’s bar. I need a drink,” Hux sighed, stepping out of the meditation chamber.

“Me too,” Ren agreed, the big dumb smile that had crept onto his face leaking into his voice.


End file.
